Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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The Associated Press; 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020 - Thursday, September 18, 1997; 4:04 p.m. EDT
Tara Meyer, Associated Press Writer
The same period also showed a drop in AIDS deaths, a trend reported by the government earlier this year. Deaths from the disease fell 23 percent, from an estimated 50,140 in 1995 to about 38,780 in 1996, the Centers for Disease Congtrol and Prevention said Thursday.
In 1996, an estimated 56,730 people were diagnosed with AIDS, down from the 60,620 new cases in 1995, the CDC said.
The CDC said powerful drugs such as protease inhibitors are apparently preventing infection with the AIDS virus from progressing to full-blown AIDS, especially in patients who start taking the medication early.
"We are seeing for the first time in this epidemic a substantial decline in AIDS incidence," said Patricia Fleming, the CDC chief of HIV/AIDS reporting and analysis. "That's very good news."
Some figures remain troubling: AIDS cases diagnosed in 1996 rose 19 percent among black men and 12 percent among black women.
"We know that the gay community has had a relatively thorough saturation of candid information on HIV prevention," said Daniel Zingale, executive director of AIDS Action, an advocacy group. "Women and people of color are not getting the same level of unvarnished HIV information."
The CDC does not have information on the rate of HIV infection, which would give a far better idea of how successful the fight against AIDS has been.
The latest figures available, from 1987 to 1992, show there were about 40,000 to 80,000 new HIV infections a year. All states report AIDS cases and deaths to the CDC, but only 30 count HIV infection, too.
The decline in new cases of AIDS reached every region of the country. AIDS cases fell 12 percent in the West, 10 percent in the Midwest, 8 percent in the Northeast and 1 percent in the South.
The greatest drops were among homosexual men and homosexual men who inject drugs -- 11 percent and 15 percent, respectively. New cases also declined among heterosexual men and women who inject drugs.
The CDC estimated that 235,470 people with AIDS were still living in 1996. Homosexual men account for almost half of those, followed by heterosexual men who inject drugs and women infected through sex with men.
Copyright 1997/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
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